Key facts
- New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Chinese-born MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to "go back to your own country."
- The remarks were made during a parliamentary debate on the COVID-19 pandemic response.
- China's ambassador to New Zealand lodged a formal complaint over the comments.
- Peters defended his statements as an exercise of free speech in a democracy.
- New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the remarks "inappropriate attention-seeking."
China has lodged a diplomatic protest with New Zealand after Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born lawmaker to "go back to your own country" during a parliamentary debate. Peters, leader of the populist New Zealand First party, directed the remarks at Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, who was born in Tianjin, China, during discussions on the government's COVID-19 response. Peters advised Xu-Nan to "go back to where you've come from, you loudmouth," adding that "this is called a democracy, unlike what you're used to."
Xu-Nan, who grew up in East Auckland, stated that Peters was "scapegoating the migrant communities" to distract from the government's record. China's ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, described the remarks as a "misunderstanding" in a statement on X and urged New Zealand to "do more things conducive to bilateral relations."
The Chinese embassy confirmed it made "solemn representations" to New Zealand's foreign affairs ministry regarding "negative China-related remarks." Peters, however, defended his comments, calling critics "pearl-clutchers" and "communist shills," and stated his ministry stood by the remarks as a defence of New Zealand's democracy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the comments "inappropriate attention-seeking."
China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, with two-way trade exceeding NZ$41 billion in the year ending September 2025.